Venezuela has a population of 25.7 million people. It is twice the size of California and borders the Caribbean Sea, Brazil, Colombia, and Guyana. Venezuela's major export is oil, which accounts for half of the government's revenue and makes Venezuela the 5th largest oil producer in the world, providing 13% of US oil imports. The current leader, Hugo Chavez, is very critical of the US and has aligned Venezuela with leaders like Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Kim Jong Il. Venezuela faces issues of extreme poverty for 60% of its population and Chavez is increasingly taking control of the government and media.